Part IV in Series: A Junior Associate's Networking Plan

Today's post in the series I've named "A Junior Associate's Networking Plan" is Community Involvement.  See here for the start of this series.

Book Review: Lipstick Jungle

As I've posted about before, I am a fan of the NBC series "Lipstick Jungle".  Sadly, rumor has it that the series has been cancelled and this Friday's "Season Finale" is actually the end of the show forever.  Looks like my lot in life is to have the network dramas that I really like get cancelled. 

Part V in Series: A Junior Associate's Networking Plan

Part V in my 7-part series is Pro Bono work.

I, like most junior associates, took on a pro bono client early in my law-firm career.  I took my first pro bono client/project based on typical factors: 1- a partner asked me to do it and 2- well, there is no second reason. 

Now, with a little bit of experience and having had the chance to work on a number of pro bono matters, I realize the networking and business development opportunity presented by carefully-chosen pro bono work.  At the outset I want to clarify that pro bono work is our professional responsibilty.  We do it to give access to the justice system to those that can't afford it otherwise.  However, for corporate lawyers particularly, there is a great side benefit of working for non-profit organizations and that benefit is networking.

A false dicotomy: Husband-shopping vs. Serious Professional

There is a post from last week on a blog called "Hiring Partner's Office" that seemingly gives sage advice about building your law firm reputation.  The hypothetical is about two women associates.  One is "pleasant, cheerful" and career focused.  The other does "seemingly solid work" but isn't social.  The post is decent until the point where the author accuses the second (and more inferior) associate of possibly working at the firm just to land a "rich hubby".!!!  What!!!  This point is questioned by a couple of the commentors and earned the post a link on corporette.com.

This scenario makes me very angry.  Obviously the husband-shopping comment by the poster was not necessary.  But, it is a symptom and not the problem.  It is a symptom of a profession that questions the motives of women who work within it.  It is a symptom of a society that still wonders why women would pursue high-powered careers.   It is also a symptom of a culture that allows this poster (aka "Hiring Partner") to let this thought role of his/her tongue when writing a post designed to be helpful and not hurtful.  I wonder what this person is thinking that doesn't get through the filter??

NAWL’s 2008 National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms, Part II

Now for the second part of the NAWL survey that I found particularly interesting this year: the finding that "For both male and femail lawyers, moving (laterally moving between firms) is likely to be a better strategy than staying in the lawyer's original firm."  This finding was interesting to me (perhaps more than others) because I have no intention of ever making a lateral move and every intention to make partner at my current firm.  This finding was surprising to me since I was under the impression that law firm management wasn't happy about the ease at which young lawyers move from one firm to another.  I have been told that there is generational strife between baby boomers in law firm management that were brought up to be loyal and Gen X and Y'ers who have no sense of loyalty whatsoever.  The fact that laterals are more likely to make partner seems to fly in the face of that.  Afterall, behaviors that are rewarded are likely to be replicated by others.  The NAWL reports states:

The market for lateral partners impacts promotion to equity partner.  ... Laterals account for roughly two-thirds of women and three-quarters of mthe men who were newly promoted to equity partnership.  A startling 31% of new equity partners are recent laterals, suggesting that they were specifically recruited for or negotiated a move for equity positions.  It also appears that males are recruited more often for equity partnership than females.  Firm structure impacts the extend to which home-grown lawyers or lateral hires are promoted to equity partner.  One-tier firms are almost equally likely to promote women form within or import female talent, while two-tier and mixed-tier firms are much more likley to import equity level women lawyers than to advance their home-grown women lawyers.

NAWL’s 2008 National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms, Part I

So, it is that time of year and NAWL released it's 2008 Survey report yesterday.  Truthfully, there isn't much to write about this survey that you can't learn by reading the report and posts about it from last year.  The numbers have not really changed.  However, there are two things in the report that I would like to discuss: (1) the "tier" structure of a law firm's partnership and how that impacts women hoping to make partner; and (2) the market for lateral hires and how that impacts women hoping to make partner.

First, I found the aspect of the report that deals with the impact of a firm's equity structure to be intriging.  The report describes three forms of equity structure: one-tier, two-tier, and mixed-tier.  One-tier firms are the traditional structure, those that have all partners contribute capital to the firm and all partners share (likely, in varying degrees) in the profits of the firm.  Two-tier firms have "equity" and "non equity" partners.  The non-equity partners carry the title of "partner" but are really just super associates.  They are still paid a base salary and bonus and do not contribute capital or share in the profits.  Usually, there is another decision to be made to "promote" somebody from non-equity to equity within two-tier firms.  The report also discusses a firm structure that is rarely discussed, that of the "mixed-tier" partnership.  Mixed-tier firms are one-tier or two-tier firms on paper but in fact they have "equity" partners who have contributed capital to the firm but do not share in the profits.  Instead, these partners get a fixed salary/bonus as compensation and lesser (or no) say in the management of the firm.  According to the report, fully 15% of the largest law firms are "mixed tier" firms.  The fact that these mixed-tier firms exist is not all that interesting but, what is fascinating, are the report's findings about how this structure impacts women:

The numbers, although preliminary, suggest that working in a mixed-tier firm is somewhat disadvantageous for a woman lawyer.  In mixed-tier firms, women constitute fewer than 13% of equity partners and 24% of non-equity partners, lower levels than in one-tier or two-tier firms.

Part III in Series: A Junior Associate's Networking Plan

Okay, so now to Part III: Law School Network and Alumni Groups.

I have found that the typical advice, both formal and informal, to a junior associate trying to start building her professional network is that she should start with keeping in touch with law school classmates.  Therefore, I have built that into my networking plan.

Do you hear that sound? It's the winds of change.

On the way to a recruiting dinner recently, I had the pleasure of driving with a sixth-year and an eighth-year (up for partner) associate.  Both are at the top of their game at my BigLaw firm.  Both are highly professional, competent, and competitive.  They are your typical careerists - the type that nobody ever questions their work ethic or dedication to the firm and its clients.  The conversation turned to children as one of their wives is due with their second child in December.  To my surprise, the conversation drifted to paternity leave and how both men had (or intended to) take advantage of the firm's four-week paid paternity leave policy.  There was no mention of what people would think or how the partners would judge them.  Instead, the conversation was all about how great the policy was and how crazy that would be not to take advantage of it.  The tone and direction of this conversation is something that I take for granted.  However, it is important to recognize that this is an indication of a major shift in law firm culture that has occurred likely in just the past handful of years.  And, I for one, am hopeful that it is an indication that balanced-life policies, the kind that lawyers actually take advantage of, are going to cross the gender lines in the near future.

There is an article on law.com called "Rare Birds" from September 1, 2008 and it discusses the fact that while more men are taking paternity leave, they are not yet pushing for the same reduced hours and extended leave options.  Men are, according to the article, "still pursuing the traditional breadwinner role, as opposed to breadwinner-plus".  However, there are plenty of indications that the current generation of law students may be more enlightened in this area.  Male law students, just like female law students, are concerned about the unlive-able demands of the billable hours at BigLaw and are just as concerned about work-life balance.

Working Moms as Role Models: Part II - Role models for other women?

Intro to Part I:

A long while ago I wrote a post about the idea that working moms are role models for their children and about the judging that goes on between women including the battles being fought in the, so called, "mommy wars".  Well, I have some updates and some additional insight on the issue that I'd like to share.

Here is the second insight that I would like to share and it is about the fact that we may be role models for other women.

My kids attend an elite private school -- the kind that has a college-like application and charges college-like tuition to attend.  This is their third year at the school and the class sizes are very small.  Therefore, we have gotten to know the other parents pretty well, at least the parents of the kids in our kids' grades.  The mommy war is really raging at this school.  There are a group of moms like me, lawyers, doctors, busy real estate brokers etc.  And, there are a group of moms that stay home.  Most of the SAHMs are former professionals that left their careers to stay at home -- a choice that I really respect but that is ultimately not the choice for me.  Most, if not all, are pretty wealthy.  The judging that goes on between the two groups is fierce and the lack of respect that flows both ways is sometimes shocking.

Working Moms as Role Models: Part I -- Role models for our kids?

A long while ago I wrote a post about the idea that working moms are role models for their children and about the judging that goes on between women including the battles being fought in the, so called, "mommy wars".  Well, I have some updates and some additional insight on the issue that I'd like to share.

First, I was recently amazed at the fact that my 5 year old daughter is completely oblivious to gender roles.  I now think that this is partly due to the fact that I am a lawyer and have always worked full-time.  I now think that my decision to work is impacting the way that she looks at the world and that I am a role model -- at least a model for a woman that chooses to make similar choices.